RESIDENTS WEIGH IN AS
LEVY DEADLINE NEARS
The final public forum is set for Sunday; board
set to vote Monday
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By CANDY BROOKS |
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A closer look On Monday night,
approximately 100 residents turned out at Worthington Kilbourne High School
to register complaints and kudos about the way the schools are being run, and
support for and opposition to placing an operating levy or permanent
improvements levy on the spring ballot. |
With the deadline for filing for a May
ballot issue looming,
On Monday night, approximately 100
residents turned out at Worthington Kilbourne High School to register
complaints and kudos about the way the schools are being run, and support for
and opposition to placing an operating levy or permanent improvements levy on
the spring ballot.
On Sunday, the board will hold its third
and final public forum on the subject at
Then on Monday night, the board will meet
and probably vote on whether to place an issue or issues on the ballot. If it
chooses to move ahead, a second special meeting will be held for a second
required vote.
Deadline for filing with the Franklin
County Board of Elections is next Thursday, Feb. 16.
The board can no longer opt to place an
income tax levy on the ballot. Though that option was placed before residents
for discussion on Monday evening, the deadline for filing for an income tax
ballot issue was Monday afternoon.
That leaves the possibility of placing an
operating levy and/or a permanent improvements levy on the ballot.
Board treasurer Jonathan Boyd is
recommending a 5.25- mill operating levy.
On Monday, it was announced that an
additional 1.5 mills would be necessary to "address the urgent"
capital needs.
Both the operating and permanent
improvements levy would be continuing.
The permanent improvements levy would
raise approximately $13.5-million over five years, paying for facility repairs
costing $5.5-million; emergency set-aside, $3.4-million; bus replacements, five
to six per year, $2-million; computer replacement, $1.6-million; telephone
system replacement, $900,000; and furniture and equipment replacement,
$165,548.
A combined 6.75-mill levy would cost the
owner of a $100,000 home an additional $206.72 in property taxes each year.
That property owner already pays $1,276.75 to the schools annually.
As at the first public forum held Jan.
23, opinions on Monday ranged from supportive of a levy and of the board and
administration, to critical of spending practices and any requests for
additional taxes.
Many of same residents turned out at both
forums.
Karen Weinrich, a Wilson Hill parent,
said that it takes money for the district to stay current and
remain competitive with other districts.
"We need to be proactive in
maintaining excellence," she said, and was applauded.
Criticism of board decisions was more
prevalent, and also applauded.
Mike Albert questioned why the board gave
teachers 5.4-percent annual raises for each of the next four years.
Boyd said the raises would be offset by
money saved with a new health insurance program.
Albert also questioned an incentive
program that will pay some of the district's best teachers to
retire at the end of the year. Forty-one will take advantage of the offer of
$40,000 to retire.
Four of those retirees will not be
replaced, and savings will result from replacing the others with less
experienced teachers, Boyd said.
Albert was not convinced.
"We have a lot of money in this district
and I'm not convinced we're spending it the best way we could," he said.
He also asked Boyd to predict the size of
operating levy the board will seek in 2008, if one is passed this year.
Based on the current forecast, that levy
would have to be between 10 and 11 mills, Boyd said.
Amy Ambrozich, a
"We are not seeing step two or step
three," she said.
She said she has heard there are
"ridiculously small" class sizes across the district.
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